About Venice Beach
Venice Beach is one of the most iconic neighbourhoods in one of the USA's most famous cities, Los Angeles. A hub for musicians, surfers and artists, it has a counter-cultural feel thanks to its tattoo shops, urban boardwalk cafés and hole-in-the-wall live music bars. Its appealingly gritty vibes are balanced out by artisan gelato parlours, high-end dining and boho-luxe boutiques. In short, Venice Beach is a paradox of a place – and it's all the more dynamic for it.
When it comes to choosing hostels in Venice Beach, you can go for one with custom-made pod beds; each has a flatscreen television hooked up to Netflix. You could also stay in a graffiti-covered building with a bar and views out over the Pacific. There's a Venice Beach hostel that'll let you borrow boogie boards and has a free breakfast. For food throughout the day, another place has a kitchen where basics like tortilla wraps and spices are complimentary.
Venice Boardwalk runs alongside the beach and is backed by doughnut stalls, skate shops and colourful murals. Go to Abbot Kinney Boulevard for cutting-edge gastro spots, café bars and fashion boutiques. Little Venice is in the backstreets; as you might have guessed from the name, the neighbourhood sits on a series of canals. Equally well-known Santa Monica is a 20-minute drive away (or an hour's walk) up the coast and has fairground amusements and a kitsch pier.
Head over to Muscle Beach to check out the renowned outdoor gym where bodybuilders work out, or find some of the free gymnastic equipment and test your rope-climbing skills. You can also see skaters perfecting their tricks at the nearby seaside skate park. Street entertainers are down by the boardwalk and a drum circle is held on the beach every evening. At the weekend, catch the Saturday Bazaar at Westminster Elementary school, where there are over 100 stalls selling art and vintage pieces.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX Airport) is about a 20-minute drive from Venice Beach. You can take public transport to get here in anything between an hour and 2 hours 30 minutes, but a quicker option is to grab a taxi or rideshare. You can also use these to get around LA in general or take a combination of buses and the metro. Got data on your phone in the US? Sign up for the Lime or Bird apps to use the motorised scooters all over Venice Beach.